Joshua Baba has returned to Bendel Insurance after being declared absent without official leave, but the article’s claim that he had an “abrupt departure from Arsenal FC” is incorrect. Baba is a 19-year-old Bendel Insurance goalkeeper; he has no verified Arsenal connection.
Bendel Insurance declared Baba AWOL on October 8 after he failed to return following an approved recovery period. He sustained a knock in the club’s opening 2026-27 Nigeria Premier Football League match against Warri Wolves on August 29, was given two weeks to recover, and travelled to Plateau State to see his family. He was expected back in mid-September but did not report or request an extension.
The club said it made repeated attempts to contact him without success. Bendel Insurance also notified the Nigeria Premier Football League and the Nigeria Football Federation, while stating that Baba remained under contract until the end of 2027.
Baba resurfaced in Lagos on Saturday, October 10, and joined the squad at its hotel ahead of Sunday’s Matchday 8 fixture against Sporting Lagos. Bendel Insurance’s director of media and communications, Kehinde Osagiede, confirmed the return but did not say why Baba had failed to return on time or whether he had been cleared to play.
The disciplinary matter has not been resolved. Osagiede said the club would take “all necessary disciplinary and administrative measures” in line with Baba’s contract and the regulations of the NPFL and NFF. His return therefore does not establish that the AWOL issue is closed or that he will be available for selection.
The claim that Baba was “a key figure in the team’s backline” is also imprecise. He is a goalkeeper, not a defender, and no source cited in the available reporting establishes that he was a key figure before his absence.
The accurate story as of October 12 is that a young Bendel Insurance goalkeeper returned to the squad after an unauthorised absence, with disciplinary and administrative action still pending. There is no evidence linking him to Arsenal, no confirmation that he will play against Sporting Lagos, and no announcement that the club has closed the matter.
